Cinecittà, Contemporary Cinema Promotion Department, is pleased to host the Italian selections for the 79° Locarno Film Festival, August 5th - 15th, 2026.
Selections by: Giona A. Nazzaro (Artistic Director), Daniela Persico (member of Selection Committee)
Dates: Rome, April 13th to 17th 2026.
Participation rules:
Eligibility requirments: for all sections, the films must have been compleated after August 31st, 2025. The films must be World Premieres and they must not have been shown at any other International Film Festival. Films submitted to previous editions of the Festival may not be resubmitted, even in a new version or under a different title.
CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE presents a selection of world premiere feature films, documentaries, or animated films longer than 60 minutes. It offers a panorama of contemporary auteur cinema, including films by young talents alongside works by established filmmakers.
CONCORSO CINEASTI DEL PRESENTE dedicated to first and second features longer than 60 minutes. This section offers a selection of world premieres, without genre distinction, ranging from documentary to fiction, including the most hybrid and innovative forms of contemporary filmmaking.
PIAZZA GRANDE presents feature films and documentaries aimed at a mainstream audience.
submission: if the film is submitted through Cinecittà, it is not necessary to register on the Festival website and pay the fee. The films will be evaluated exclusively by the Festival selection team.
Films previously submitted to the Festival and not selected will not be reconsidered for the 2026 Festival.
Required materials for the selections: a link, together with technical data or publicity material. The English subtitles are not necessary for this stage of selections.
Film submission: it is not necessary to register the film and pay the fee. We kindly ask you to send the links no later than Tuesday, April 7th to:
Serena Mazzi s.mazzi@cinecitta.it
Rossella Rinaldi r.rinaldi@cinecitta.it
Monica Moscato m.moscato@cinecitta.it